Barket i Mercat Municipal Market

The Mercat Municipal is a covered hall of 15 stalls, so this is a small market rather than a city food hall you could lose an hour in. Barket i Mercat is the seafood counter within it, and the short opening pattern matters: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday only, from 10am to 4pm each day. There is no Sunday, Monday or Tuesday trading.

Being indoors is the practical difference between this and Xàbia's street markets, which set up in the open. The hall is wheelchair accessible, with step-free entry from the square, and it stays workable in August heat and in a February downpour alike.

Cash, contactless and mobile payments are all accepted at the counter, so a card or a phone is enough for a kilo of fish. The counter can be reached on +34 633 125 951.

Fish and seafood is the whole point of this counter, sold fresh from the display for you to take home. It is the closest thing Xàbia's town centre has to a dedicated pescadería inside a market hall, and the 10am opening suits a late morning shop better than a dawn one.

The counter also serves prepared food, and the market carries a food court, so you can order rather than only buy. That dual habit, a fishmonger on one side and cooked plates on the other, is what separates Barket i Mercat from a straightforward fish stall, and it is why people arrive at lunchtime as well as with a shopping bag.

Staying in Xàbia Old Town puts you within a few minutes' walk of Plaça Celestino Pons, which is the difference between carrying fish home and driving it there. For something closer to the water, El Arenal is the beach side of town with regular buses into the centre.

If you prefer a hotel, Parador de Xàbia sits near the sea and makes a comfortable base for a few days in the town.

The market is at Plaça Celestino Pons, 03730 Xàbia, in the old town rather than out at the port or El Arenal beach. From anywhere in the historic centre it is a short walk, and the square itself is the landmark to aim for.

Driving in, park around the square and walk the last stretch: the old town streets are narrow and the 10am to 4pm window overlaps with the busiest part of the day. Other markets across the area are listed on the Alicante province page.